Detroit, MI
Lions ‘took the reins off the D-line’ in five-sack win over Cowboys
Detroit — Speaking to reporters Tuesday, defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard teased the potential for personnel and schematic tweaks.
The Detroit Lions were coming off an outing in which they never sacked Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love. They had four sacks in their last four games, and only 2½ of those came from the defensive line. Sheppard, asked if the lack of a pass rush was hurting his ability to run as much man coverage as he usually likes, was blunt in his assessment: “I don’t think we’ve affected the quarterback to play any style these past couple weeks.”
Changes were needed, and changes were seemingly made.
“They kind of took the reins off the D-line a little bit this week in an effort to create more,” defensive end Aidan Hutchinson said following Detroit’s 44-30 win over the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday. “If I had to guess, it’s how we’ll move forward.”
Took the reins off?
“How do I explain it? Just getting off the ball, even when it could be (a run), it might be (a) run. It’s just really having more of a pass mentality,” Hutchinson said. “Because where teams get us a lot is that block-it-up, (play action pass), eight-man protection, and then (the QB’s) sitting back there and hitting us. It’s getting faster on those transitions and stuff, it’s been an emphasis. I think we did that today, for sure.”
Indeed they did. The Lions sacked Dak Prescott five times, an impressive feat against a quarterback who has been so skilled at escaping danger. Heading into Thursday, opposing defenses had converted only 10.3% of their pressures against Prescott into sacks. That was the third-lowest rate in the NFL among the 42 QBs who had dropped back at least 100 times this season.
Three of Detroit’s sacks came from defensive end Al-Quadin Muhammad, who now leads the team in sacks (nine) through 13 games. Muhammad played 33 snaps against the Cowboys, his most since Week 7. The ninth-year pro said he wasn’t sure how much opportunity he’d receive Thursday, but he was prepared to make the most of whatever he was given.
“I’m just taking it one snap at a time, and then at the end of the game I realized, ‘OK, I did play a lot. I did play a little bit more than normal.’ I don’t really care about the snaps. I don’t focus on the snaps,” Muhammad said. “I let the coaches make whatever decisions they decide to make. I know they have our best interest at heart.”
Muhammad has 12 sacks in his time with the Lions, which spans 22 games over two seasons; he was signed to the practice squad last October before being brought up to the active roster one month later. Before joining the Lions, Muhammad had 12 sacks in 84 appearances, dating back to when he was drafted by the New Orleans Saints in the sixth round of the 2017 NFL Draft.
“It wasn’t just me,” Muhammad said of his three sacks against the Cowboys. “It was a collective effort. There’s other guys out there that’s on the field rushing, as well. Shoutout to the other guys in our room, and shoutout to the defense. … When I did get some opportunties to win the one-on-ones, I won the one-on-ones. But, most importantly, it’s a collective effort.”
rsilva@detroitnews.com
@rich_silva18
Detroit, MI
The first Detroit Lions OC candidate has emerged
Blough is only two years into his coaching career after retiring from playing after the 2023 season. He has spent the last two seasons as the Washington Commanders’ assistant quarterbacks coach, helping young quarterback Jayden Daniels emerge as a strong franchise player for Washington. Late in the 2025 season, Commanders quarterbacks coach Tavita Pritchard took the Stanford head coaching job, leaving Blough to serve as the interim quarterbacks coach for the rest of the season.
While backing up Jared Goff in Detroit, Blough was often described by the coaching staff as an excellent backup and strong offensive mind.
“I love the kid, if I’m being totally honest with you,” Campbell said back in 2021. “He’s just a little football player. And when I say that, I mean that in the highest regard. Look, he’s smart. He’s extremely smart. He knows where to go with the football, I love his timing. He knows how to command the huddle, he communicates well and on top of that, he’s a hell of a dude, by the way. He just is. So, he has not disappointed. He’s doing a good job. He’s out there competing with the rest of those guys.”
As of now, this is the only known candidate for the Lions’ offensive coordinator position, but it’s still early in the process. When more candidates emerge, we’ll have a tracker so you can see all of the names in one place.
Detroit, MI
Popular Detroit sports columnist announces stage 4 cancer diagnosis
Longtime Detroit sports radio host and columnist Pat Caputo has been diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer, he announced Monday.
Caputo, a host on Detroit’s 97.1 The Ticket, last published a column on Nov. 7. On Monday, he explained the reason behind his absence.
“For those wondering where I’ve been: I have been diagnosed with Stage 4 pancreatic cancer, commonly referred to as a “death sentence” and had two other serious ailments which put me in ICU for several days,” Caputo wrote in a post to X. “It was sudden. I’ve literally been on my back for weeks. Bless you all.”
Caputo, 66, became a well-known personality in Detroit sports media during his time as an award-winning columnist for The Oakland Press from 1983-2020, according to the Detroit Free Press. He also was previously part of WXYT’s “Evening Sports” broadcast, and is an official voter for the Baseball Hall of Fame and college football’s Heisman Trophy award, according to his X bio.
Caputo is nicknamed “The Book” for his impressive memory retaining sports stats and information, according to FOX 2 in Detroit, where he has been a regular guest on its “Sports Works” broadcast.
Caputo’s social media announcement regarding his health drew support from fellow sports media professionals, including Brad Galli, sports director at WXYZ Detroit, and ESPN’s Dan Wetzel and Dave Pasch.
“Pat, we’re praying for [you],” Galli wrote. “Awful awful awful to read this, man. God bless you.”
“Legend. Stay strong my friend. So much support out here for you,” Wetzel posted.
“Book, praying for you my friend. So sorry to hear this,” Pasch wrote.
Detroit, MI
Murder trial starts this week in death of Detroit neurosurgeon Devon Hoover
DETROIT (WXYZ) — Desmond Burks’ murder trial starts this week. On Monday, he attended his pre-trial hearing. Burks faces first-degree murder, felony murder and larceny charges in the death of Dr. Devon Hoover.
The prominent Detroit neurosurgeon was found dead in his attic in April 2023 after Detroit police performed a wellness check. Investigators said he had been shot twice in the head and his body was wrapped in a blood-soaked carpet.
Watch Darren Cunningham’s video report below:
Trial set to begin in Dr. Devon Hoover murder case
At the pre-trial, Judge Paul Cusick set the tone for how he expects the trial to go. It could last several weeks, according to court administration.
“Obviously, there’s always been respect shown to this court by the defendant and attorneys in this case, and all of the witnesses need to show the respect that is going to be required. There will be no outburst from any witnesses or anyone else during the proceedings,” the judge said.
Cusick discussed scheduling for the trial, starting with jury selection Wednesday and outlined restrictions for news media.
“Media is prohibited from showing and/or publishing the faces of any civilian witnesses not employed by the government,” he read.
WXYZ
Those same restrictions were in place during the preliminary hearing.
At the prelim, a number of people testified that they were former lovers of Desmond Burks.
Those men and women described Burks as a hustler and said he would send them money from an unknown Cash App and then have them send the money back to his Cash App.
Watch our coverage of the third day of the preliminary hearing below:
Day 3 concludes in Desmond Burks’ preliminary hearing in murder of Dr. Devon Hoover
Burks is accused of stealing more than $30,000 from Hoover via credit card and fraudulent bank transactions, and Burks allegedly used other people to execute his plan.
Investigators said text messages revealed Burks had an intimate relationship with Hoover and was sometimes paid for sexual services.
Watch our coverage of the second day of the preliminary hearing below:
Mystery backpack focus of testimony during day 2 of Hoover preliminary hearing
Testimony from the prelim also revealed that authorities zeroed in on Burks, in part, through cellphone records and surveillance footage involving Hoover’s stolen truck.
During the trial, we may hear from a close relative of Burks who identified him in surveillance footage during the prelim. The footage allegedly shows Burks walking away from Hoover’s stolen vehicle.
Watch our coverage of the first day of the preliminary hearing below:
Preliminary hearing begins for man charged with killing Dr. Devon Hoover
The jury selection process is scheduled to start at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday.
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